Brisbane and the City Botanical Gardens

In the centre of Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, is the City Botanical Gardens. It is situated on Gardens Point on the Brisbane River. The site was selected in 1928 and the gardens, known for its cycads, palm trees, fig trees, and bamboo, were established by the early 1940s.

Due to the sub-tropical climate in Brisbane, the 20 hectares of botanical gardens also include mango, pawpaw, ginger, tamarind, mahogany, Poinciana, and jacaranda trees.

The gardens are situated on floodplains, and after eight floods, with many plants washed away, the Brisbane City Council decided to establish a new botanical garden at Mount Coot-tha – called the Brisbane Botanic Gardens to distinguish it from the City Botanical Gardens. The new botanical gardens are 52 hectares located at Toowong about 15 minutes from the city centre. Work on the new gardens began in 1970, officially opening in 1976.

The (old) City Botanical Gardens will remain on the city site – it’s a prominent and popular place for weddings and celebrations. But for pedestrians walking along the pathways of the Brisbane River, the route goes through the City Botanical Gardens and is just a short walk from the city centre.

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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